Love Stinks *RATED PG14*

Layla attended a birthday party on Saturday for Juan, one of the boys in her preschool class. Juan actually lives in Oriville, Washington but his parents drive him to Canada each day for the renowned Nk'mip Preschool (didn't I tell you they were good?). At the end of the party, instead of giving the usual loot bags filled with bubbles, bouncy balls and candy, Juan gave each guest a mason's jar with holes punched in the top, fake bugs inside and a magnifying glass. Well, if you've been keeping up with my blog you would know that Layla loves bugs (except mosquitoes and bees) and was very excited to fill her jar with the real thing.

Later that afternoon we went for a walk, jar in hand, and watched the ground for anything creeping or crawling. We soon came across a beetle and I helped Layla scoop it into her jar. It was a fairly large beetle by my standards...and a stinky one at that. What we had found was a stink beetle. They are also known as Clown Beetles because of the silly way they stick their head down and bums up while they stink away their predators.

Layla added some greenery and a twig to the jar and we continued on our walk. While we were down by the river Layla found another beetle sunbathing on a rock and added him to her jar. We didn't realize until we got home that the poor beetle had been getting continuously "stinked" on the whole time. He stayed perched upon the twig while the stink beetle made a spray that eventually coated the entire inside of the jar. At one point the stink beetle climbed the twig to get a closer stink. The pointy side that is sticking up is his stinker. It moves side to side as he stinks.

Well, we've had the beetles since Saturday and yesterday morning I found the "unknown beetle species" climb to the top of his twig that had since been reclaimed by the stink bug. He climbed up behind him and rubbed his little beetle arms all over the stink bug with his nose right in it's stinker. He must be used to the stink by now, or the jar is so filled with the stench that you just can't avoid it anyway. I don't know what he was trying to do, maybe push him off, devise a plan of escape, or maybe...

Later in the day I found they had switched positions. Now the stink beetle was behind doing the same thing to the other beetle. Layla asked me what they were doing but I had to confess I really didn't know for sure. I looked online to see if beetles have sex and yes they do but with different species of beetles? I don't know...I can only tell you what I saw.

Baron likes the beetles too. Here he tries to get a closer look.

I looked online to see what stink beetles need to survive. In the wild they eat the usual leaves and grass but in the laboratory they are fed apples and dog food. Whoever came up with that idea?! I add a bit of water each morning which they seem to enjoy, well, it gets them moving again anyway. Yesterday I added a piece of dog food and they both immediately went to work on it.

Layla really wants to keep them until show-and-tell day on Wednesday so since it's been four days already I am trying to help her keep them alive for 1 more, for science sake, of course. She is very excited to show Juan and her other classmates what she caught with her party favour, and I must admit...I'm actually growing a little attached to the wee fellas...not enough to touch them or anything but they have been quite interesting to watch in their progression from enemies to...ahem..lovers?